The Thomson Reuters Foundation recognises the fight against modern slavery as an urgent global priority requiring coordinated action between civil society, law enforcement, governments, and corporations.

According to the International Labor Organization and Walk Free Foundation, over 40 million people around the world are victims of modern slavery. This number includes men and women who are held in forced and bonded labour and forced marriages, or have been trafficked for commercial sex or domestic servitude. Slavery is a hugely profitable business, one estimated to be worth $150 billion a year.

The Foundation plays a thought leadership role in the fight against slavery and trafficking by raising awareness of the crime through authoritative reporting and journalism training, by providing free legal assistance and research to anti-slavery organisations, and by convening all the key players in the global fight against modern-day slavery at the Trust Conference.

Engaging the private sector

The demand for cheap goods is fuelling forced labour, meaning that market forces drive both the supply and the demand for modern slavery. That’s why corporations have a crucial role to play. As a corporate Foundation, we are uniquely placed to engage the private sector through high-impact initiatives that position the fight against modern slavery as a business imperative.

Stop Slavery Award

The Stop Slavery Award was launched by the Thomson Reuters Foundation in 2015 to recognise companies that have taken concrete steps to eradicate forced labour from their supply chains.

The aim is to create a virtuous cycle, a positive paradigm to demonstrate that business can play a critical role in putting an end to modern-day slavery worldwide.

The initiative publicly recognises corporations that are 'best in class' at demonstrating integrity, courage and innovation in cleaning their supply chains.

Our new Stop Slavery Hero Award also recognized the individuals who have had a significant impact in the fight to eradicate slavery – whether on the front lines, or at a global scale.

Judges

The Stop Slavery Award Judging Board brings together some of the world’s highest-profile leaders in the fight against slavery.

Kailash Satyarthi

Nobel Peace Prize Recipient & Children's Rights Activist

Patricia Viseur Sellers

International Criminal Lawyer

Kevin Hyland

Former UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner

Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.

District Attorney, New York County

Kenneth Roth

Executive Director, Human Rights Watch

Monique Villa

CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation and Founder of Trust Conference

The Award

The Stop Slavery Award is a sculpture conceived by Anish Kapoor especially for this initiative.

The Stop Slavery Award, created by Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Monique Villa and Turner Prize winner Anish Kapoor, recognises companies that have taken concrete steps to eradicate forced labour from their supply chains.

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Strengthening the Rule of Law

Ensuring the rule of law is upheld is fundamental to making progress in the fight against modern slavery. Our TrustLaw programme connects leading anti-slavery NGOs with top law firms providing crucial pro bono support.

Legal Research for Change

TrustLaw connects leading anti-slavery organisations with some of the world’s best lawyers. In addition to providing them with free legal assistance, these lawyers produce powerful and authoritative pro bono research, giving those on the frontlines effective tools to demand policy change and ensure the rule of law is used to drive the fight against slavery.

Fishing for Fairness – Slavery in the Fishing Industry

Many fishers put their lives at risk so that we can have fish on our plates. In such conditions, fishers are in desperate need of protection and yet many of them are excluded from general labour law protections., Only nine countries have adopted the International Labour Organization’s Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188) which sets minimum requirements for working and living conditions for fishers.

Why is this vital workforce overlooked? How do we protect these fishers, who are often vulnerable migrants, from life-threatening and exploitative working conditions that, in some cases, point to modern slavery? The purpose of this research report is to analyse and compare the legal frameworks of multiple countries to see how they have tackled this complex problem and identify gaps that would justify reform.

This report identifies and summarises the statutory compensation schemes available in 20 jurisdictions around the world. It analyses their suitability and accessibility for victims of human trafficking. There is a wide variety of compensation schemes in this review; some are specific to human trafficking victims, while others are more general.

Given the specific needs and characteristics of victims of human trafficking, this report analyses how well the relevant schemes are suited to the particular needs of human trafficking victims.

Every Angle - Using the Law to Combat Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia

Modern-day slavery takes many forms: human trafficking, forced and bonded labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude. The common denominator of all these crimes is the evil intention to strip human beings of their freedom, and then to use, control, abuse and exploit them.

This report presents common trafficking scenarios in seven countries and looks at the laws that apply in each scenario. It is a tool to help front-line NGOs and lawyers secure more prosecutions, combat the culture of impunity for traffickers and deliver justice for victims of trafficking.

Corporate Liability for Forced Labour and Human Trafficking

Since the production of goods and services has become increasingly fragmented as a result of globalisation, nearly every multinational corporation will be exposed to risks of forced labour and human trafficking, particularly where migrant or otherwise vulnerable workers are recruited into lower skilled jobs in the supply chain.

The report maps corporate liability for forced labour and human trafficking across several jurisdictions, highlighting legislation that applies to companies and what duties are expected in business operations and activities (including duties to detect, prevent, mitigate, report and remedy incidences of trafficking and forced labour). This report comprises a detailed legal mapping, most relevant to in-house and external legal advisors.

India is home to an estimated 14 million victims of human trafficking. Despite being illegal, forced and bonded labour are widespread and commercial sexual exploitation and child labour persist, often with impunity for perpetrators and limited legal recourse for victims.

This report examines the legal challenges faced by victims of human trafficking in India and makes key recommendations on legal strategies to combat trafficking and improve legal outcomes for victims. The report considers how trafficking victims, NGOs, independent lawyers and other stakeholders navigate the criminal justice system in India, highlighting the challenges they face, from the initial filing of a claim through to trial.

Raising Awareness

Modern slavery is a hidden crime that most often goes unpunished. Good journalism has the power to shed light on the many complex aspects of this human rights abuse by holding people, governments and corporations to account.

Our investigative journalism and daily reporting exposes the crime and gives a voice to survivors and those on the frontlines, contributing to substantially increasing public awareness. We share this know-how by training other journalists to do the same across the world.

Reporting Modern Slavery

The Foundation’s team of journalists produces daily news, in-depth investigations, and short documentaries on modern slavery across the globe. All our news reaches an estimated readership of 1 billion people a day, triggering local and international debates, and leading to impactful change on the ground.

Journalism Training

Through our training and mentoring, we help reporters around the world navigate the complexity they might encounter when investigating and reporting slavery and human trafficking, covering issues ranging from privacy laws to data mining and financial regulation.

Shaping the conversation

Our regular media appearances, editorial pieces and speaking engagements are evidence of our leading role in the fight against slavery.

Media Appearances

Our experts regularly appear on leading programmes to discuss the biggest issues in slavery and trafficking, as well as the initiatives we have created to address them.

In the Press

We consistently contribute pieces to leading publications around the world to reinforce public awareness of some of the most pressing issues in the fight against slavery, and are recognised by leading publications for our efforts in this space.

Taking Action

Our annual Trust Conference (formerly known as Trust Women) is the world’s leading forum for the fight against slavery and trafficking. We convene thought leaders, decision makers from across sectors, and activists. At the event, participants commit to taking concrete action to fight slavery, and to put the rule of law behind human rights.

Trust Conference Actions

In focus: Fighting Slavery Through Financial Data

Financial institutions have a key role to play in the fight against slavery. Through data mining and monitoring they can spot suspicious financial activity that can lead to the arrest and prosecution of traffickers. But while significant progress has been made in identifying money laundering and other financial crimes through internationally-shared mechanisms and practices, human trafficking has not been specifically addressed.

In 2013, we partnered with Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. to convey top US financial institutions and leading anti-slavery NGOs. The working group produced a set of ad-hoc red flag indicators to help detect and report suspicious financial activity potentially linked to human trafficking. Since the adoptions of the red flags by the financial institutions, the Manhattan DA’s office reported a significant spike in the number of Suspicious Activity Reports.

Following the success of the US initiative, the Financial Alliance has been replicated in Europe.

KEYNOTES & PANELS

Each year, we invite survivors and key players to tackle the big questions in the fight against slavery and trafficking and share their experience with hundreds of people in the room and thousands more watching online.

Day 1 Keynote - Kevin Bales

Day 1 Keynote - Kate Van Doore

Day 1 Plenary - Orphanages as Trafficking Hubs

Day 1 Plenary - Innovations to Tackle Human Trafficking

Day 1 Plenary - Actions Leading to Solutions: Banks Alliance Around the World

2018 Conference Highlights

TRUST CONFERENCE REGIONAL SPIN-OFFS

While slavery is a global issue, we know that each part of the world faces its own distinct set of challenges. Trust Conference hosts regional spin-offs in a different continent each year, convening key local players to discuss strategies for combatting global issues with a regional focus.